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Press Release Low Power FM Radio Stations: Consumers Union Urges PassageFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 19, 2009, WASHINGTON, DC –Today the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously voted the Local Community Radio Act of 2009 (S. 592), sponsored by Senator Cantwell, out of committee. The bill will now head to the full Senate for approval. Read MoreBlog Post Verizon Doubling Price for Consumers Who Leave for Better DealsWe are rarely at a loss for words here at www.hearusnow.org, but we have to admit we were left speechless by Verizon’s stunning announcement it’s doubling its already ridiculous penalty on customers who want to get a better phone or service from another company. Beginning next week, Verizon will raise its “early termination fee” to $350 per line for its more advanced phones, including its popular Blackberry devices and its just-introduced Droid. Read MorePress Release Droid Buyer Beware: Verizon to Double Early Termination FeesFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 12, 2009, WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the recent launch of Verizon’s newest smartphone, the Droid, consumers should be aware starting Monday, November 15, 2009, Verizon will double its early termination fee to $350 for new customers who buy the Droid and other advanced smartphones. Verizon, the nation’s largest wireless phone service provider, will decrease the $350 fee by $10 a month over the course of the contract. Read MorePress Release Intellectual Property Rights -- Take the Consumer SurveyConsumers Union, and the over 220 member organizations of Consumers International (CI), believes that it is in the interest of all consumers to have unhampered and inclusive access to knowledge. To this end, we are helping CI gather information to pinpoint the barriers consumers face when they access knowledge resources such as educational materials, software, films and music. By completing the six questions on the CI access barriers survey, you can help us to understand how consumers view and interact with copyrighted materials. Read MorePress Release Verizon to Double Early Termination Fees: Statement by Consumers UnionFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 4, 2009 (WASHINGTON, DC) Verizon, the nation’s largest wireless phone service provider, is doubling its early termination fee to $350 for advanced devices such as smartphones. Joel Kelsey, policy analyst for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, said Verizon’s move makes it harder for customers to shop around for phones and service plans. Read MoreBlog Post Hollywood Wants to Turn Off Your TV -- SeriouslyIt’s already hard enough for the average consumer to figure out all those plugs and wires behind a television and other video devices well enough to get all the channels working properly or record programs. So imagine what it would be like if the big media companies were suddenly able to virtually turn off some of those plugs and rendering your perfectly legal and reliable equipment incapable of picking up certain programming you now get just fine. As far-fetched as that might sound, it is exactly what would happen should the Federal Communications Commission go along with a waiver request now pending before it from the Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the big movie and television studios. Read MorePress Release What is Network Neutrality?The FCC has begun the process of revising its rules on net neutrality. These rules could have a huge impact on every consumer who uses the Internet, as well as every company, large and small, that does business online. Read More |
DT to Seek U.S. Partners for T-Mobile USA T-Mobile USA’s parent Deutsche Telekom is looking for U.S. partners to help fund the U.S. wireless carrier’s network build-out, according to a report from Reuters and a German newspaper. Potential partners may include Clearwire, MetroPCS or Leap, according to the report. Google phone strategy takes off, challenges ahead Google Inc has won a seat at the smartphone table. Two years after the Web search leader announced its plan to barge into the market, a dozen phones are using Google's Android mobile operating software, including Motorola Inc's heavily promoted Droid phone. Hacked E-Mails Fuel Global Warming Debate An online debate over global warming science has broken out after an unknown hacker broke into the e-mail server at a prominent, British climate-research center, stole more than a thousand e-mails about global warming research and posted them online. Nook sold out for the holidays If you were interested in buying the Barnes & Noble Nook as a holiday gift, strike it off your list. The e-reader is now officially sold out through 2009, according to the B&N Web site. T-Mobile launches pre-paid BlackBerry T-Mobile said Wednesday it will sell a pay-in-advance BlackBerry smartphone that doesn't require a contract or credit check. |
